Glenn Hall defeats John John Florence in first Semi-final of ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro
Ireland’s Glenn Hall successfully advanced through into the Final of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME Nike Lowers Pro after prevailing in a real intense Semi-final battle against Hawaii’s John John Florence that went down at the beach-break
of Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, on Saturday, May 5.
It was turning out to be a real action-packed week, with a series of outstanding performances by some of the top surfing talent from around the globe. The glassy two-to-four foot waves gracing the primary event site had served as a perfect stage to host
some of the most intense heats. The motivation to perform well was high as the prestigious event title, big prize purse and ASP ranking points were up for grabs.
The first Semi-final pitted Hall against Florence, promising a heavy dose of enthralling action considering their current form. The young Hawaiian in particular had been in a phenomenal form since the last few months and had brought that momentum with him
to Lower Trestles.
As the first Semi-final got underway, Hall took an early advantage, locking his first business wave in the opening minutes of the heat to unload a series of quick turns. The effort compelled the judges into scoring the wave a 7.77. After a long and determined
hunt, the Irish surfer added an additional 4.83 points to his account to take his heat-total to 12.60 points.
Florence did not get off to the best of starts, struggling to find a decent score. However, he eventually managed to find a juicy right-hander to perform a combination of stylish carves and massive aerials to post a 9.00 on the score-board. He immediately
followed it up with a 3.17-point ride to finish with a heat-total of 12.17 points. The 0.43-point deficit served to seal the fate of the battle in the favour of his rival.
“I kept having these slow heats and I tried to get a quick start and I just couldn’t put it together,” Florence said during his post-heat interview. “I had the one big air and got a good score and only needed a small score, I got it and then Micro got a
score at the end.”
The surfing action continued at the fabled point-break of Lower Trestles with the remaining heats of the ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro on Saturday.
Tags: